Shooting Challenge #32 -- Seeing Red (Win a Nexus 7)

It’s no great secret that I’m a huge fan of black and white photography and almost all of my photographic output is in monochrome. On occasions, I like to challenge myself and inject a bit of colour into my photographs.

The Intro:

One of the many photography projects I have stored away in my head is a series of photos incorporating different objects with one thing in common: they are all the same colour. And for me, one of the most powerful colours is red, as it has many different connotations including hot, power, speed, lust and ripe.

The Brief:

For this week’s Shooting Challenge, I want you to make a photograph or series of photographs that focuses on the colour red. I’m looking for creative photographs that instantly draw the viewers to that colour. I don’t want to see any ‘selective colour’ photography as this usually requires some post­processing work and only minimal global post­processing is permitted.

The Technique:

There’s no technical requirements for this challenge, it’s all about making interesting images by focusing on the colour red. However, there are a few things to think about and consider.

1.) Composition:­ A good/bad composition can make/break a photo, so think about how your subject is composed. If you can, photograph your subject from multiple angles and positions; don’t just take one shot and be done with it.

2.) Lighting: ­Ensure your subject has sufficient light; this could come via a natural source or a well-placed spot­light.

3.) Explore: ­Take your camera out and explore the world around you; you may just find the perfect photograph. It could be an abandoned red ball, a pair of red shoes, or a someone in a red coat in a sea of black jackets.

4.) If you can’t make it, fake it:­ Create the scene you want. Using the examples listed above. Have a pair of red shoes? Use them creatively to create something magical.

5.) Colour juxtaposition: Think about the surrounding colour of your subject, make your subject stand out by implementing some colour juxtaposition such as red and green or dark and light.

The Prize:

This week we have a 16GB Nexus 7 plus case up for grabs from the generous folk at Ubisoft.

­--Follow the brief --Submissions must be your own work. ­--Submit up to five images ­--Photos must be taken after the challenge was published; so no existing shots please. ­--Minimal image post­processing is permitted (global changes only) ­--Explain briefly in your submission email the equipment, settings, technique used and the story behind the image/images. ­--Ensure EXIF info is intact (if image was taken digitally). ­--Email submissions to gizshootingchallenge@gmail.com ­--Please ensure your image is at least 600px wide and less than 3MB in size. ­--Save your image as a JPG, and use the following naming convention FirstnameLastnameRED.jpg ­--Don’t forget to include a shooting summary (see above). ­--Send your best photos by Monday, April 28th 2014 at 6pm UK time with “Shooting Challenge RED” in the subject line. ­--Anyone can enter, regardless of location. --The most important rule — HAVE FUN!